Parents of eye doctor killed in hit-and-run to receive 27 million baht

A court ruling yesterday determined that a 23 year old police officer must pay 27.3 million baht in compensation to the parents of a doctor he fatally hit while riding a motorcycle in 2022.

The incident occurred when the officer, Norawich Buadok, who was travelling between 108 and 128 kilometres per hour on his Ducati Monster big bike, struck 33 year old Dr Waraluck Supawatjariyakul at a pedestrian crossing in Ratchathewi district.

At the time of the incident, Norawich was part of the Protection and Crowd Control Division of the Metropolitan Police Bureau. He had just collected a police document and was overtaking other vehicles approximately 30 metres before the crossing.

The victim, an ophthalmologist, was hit in front of Bhumirajanagarindra Kidney Institute Hospital. Despite causing severe injuries, the officer failed to stop and assist Dr Waraluck, who tragically passed away within an hour of the collision.

The lawsuit was initiated by the deceased doctor’s parents, Anirut and Ratchanee Supawatjariyakul, both 64 years old. They sought 72.26 million baht for lost financial support from their daughter and an additional 539,493 baht to cover funeral expenses.

In the ruling today, the Civil Court ordered Norawich to pay 27 million baht for the lost financial support and an additional 331,230 baht for the funeral costs. The calculation was based on Dr Waraluck’s monthly salary of 31,000 baht at the Police General Hospital and her estimated annual income of between 1.8 and 2.4 million baht from part-time work at three private hospitals, reported Bangkok Post.

The Royal Thai Police Office was also named in the lawsuit. However, the court dismissed this part of the case, ruling that Norawich was solely liable for the tragic event. Norawich has also faced criminal charges related to the incident and was previously sentenced to prison. In January, his prison term was increased to five years and one month by the Court of Appeal.

ORIGINAL STORY: Police officer faces a total of 9 charges for speeding and hitting an eye doctor at a crosswalk

The police officer who sped his Ducati motorcycle through Bangkok and stuck an eye doctor walking on a zebra crossing, killing her, is now facing a total of nine charges. He was initially charged with seven, but authorities slapped on two more charges. But the parents of ophthalmologist Dr. Waraluck Supwatjariyakul say the charges are still too light and they are concerned there won’t be justice for their daughter.

Officer Norrawit Buadok was driving his Ducati motorcycle between 108 and 128 kilometres per hour when he hit Waraluck who was walking on the zebra crossing on Phaya Thai Road on January 21, according to the Bangkok Post. Waraluck worked as an ophthalmologist at the faculty of medicine at Chulalongkorn University on Phaya Thai Road. She was just days away from her 34th birthday.

The charges Norrawit faces include…

• Reckless driving causing death
• Speeding
• Violating the Road Traffic Act by driving a vehicle without a registration plate
• Failure to keep the motorcycle in the left lane
• Failure to give pedestrians the right-of-way at a crosswalk
• Violating the Car Act by using a vehicle with unpaid yearly tax
• Using an incomplete vehicle (His motorbike didn’t have a rearview mirror)
• Using a vehicle without third-party insurance as is indicated in the Car Accident Act of 1992
• Driving without regard for others’ safety

After talking to the police at the Phraya Thai station, the doctor’s parents interviewed Thai media about the updates on the case. According to reports, the father shared that the suspect didn’t contact him to offer compensation. He says the charges are still too light and the mother is worried that they won’t get justice. The father added that he wants his daughter’s case to lead to stricter enforcement of traffic laws to prevent similar accidents in the future.

Phraya Thai Police Colonel Borwonpop Sunthornrekha also gave an interview with Thai media. He shared that information, witnesses, and evidence will be collected and submitted to prosecutors by February 11.